'Ghosts' play role in sports history

by Ryan Ernst
Assistant Sports Editor

For years, media relations personnel have written the brief biographies of athletes that appear in media guides and programs. But now many athletes are taking the initiative to tell their own stories through autobiographies.

Many athletes, however, do not have the skills or technical knowledge to complete a manuscript telling the story of their lives. In such cases, many athletes turn to ghostwriters to write their stories. A ghostwriter is a person hired to write for and give credit of authorship to another person.

Mike Pearson, vice-president of acquisitions for Sports Publishing Inc. said ghostwriters play a vital role in how an athlete's story is told.

"Typically the ghostwriter is the primary go-between for the athlete and the publisher," he said. "We will talk to the athlete when it comes to promotion and primary contact with the ghostwriter, but after that most of the contact is strictly between the two of them."

Ghostwriter Paul Rogers, who has worked on anecdotal biographies with the Cincinnati Reds' Bill Werber and Philadelphia Phillies Hall of Famer Robin Roberts, said he likes to take his time gathering information while keeping the player involved in the process.

"I usually interview the player with a tape recorder at great length, and I've learned through trial and error to keep outlines of interviews," he said. "After interviews, questions usually come up, and I'll go back and have them elaborate on certain points.

"I also send them a copy of each chapter before the publisher ever sees it to see if they want to make any corrections, but they rarely do."

Pearson said although sometimes ghostwriters can serve as a publicists, he tries to make sure athletes do not shy away from past indiscretions in their biographies.

"Although the subject of the manuscript has the final say on the manner, we try to discourage them from ducking away from issues that he or she might not want out in the public eye," he said. "But at the same time, we try being sensitive to the fact that it is their story, and they have a right to tell it their own way."

The Society for American Baseball Research is an organization that tells ballplayers' stories through the publishing of biographies. The SABR soon will release Werber and Rogers' joint effort.

Mark Alvarez, publication director for the SABR, said although most athletes do not have the skills to write their own stories, there are exceptions to the rule.

"Bill Werber is a special case. He is extremely well-educated and has been a success in athletics and in the business world," he said. "He did a lot of the book himself."

Pearson also said it is easier to work with an athlete who knows about writing going into the biography process.

"It's rare to find (an athlete) that has those abilities," he said. "But if they can't, we just count on them to be the storyteller and let the ghostwriter do what they do best."